Cross City Crisis!
by The Falling Adept
Summary: Cross City: The meeting ground for all sorts of characters from cartoons could live together in peace and harmony. At least, until the city was taken over by Professor Venomous. Now, it's up to Steven Universe, Star Butterfly, and K.O. to defeat the evil that has plagued the city and restore peace. Heavily inspired by the music of The Protomen.
1. A World Under Darkness

"_No one was left who could remember how it happened. How the world had fallen under darkness. At least no one who would do anything." – Hope Rides Alone_ by The Protomen

The clock hit twelve. It was time for the public exterminations. The crowd gathered against their will to the Capital Building, where their supreme leader Professor Venomous had set up the prisoners set for execution. They were familiar faces to many: Ben Tennyson, Mung Dhal, and most importantly, Buttercup Utonium. The Professor raised his arm, and in turn the horrible machinations that keep the streets in fear raised their axes. He swiftly lowered his arm, and the first robot beheaded the first prisoner. The process repeated once more for Mung's execution.

However, he walked up to Buttercup, whose head lay trapped between the stocks. He bent down to her and whispered into her ear.

"I'll let you go if you tell me where Blossom is," he offered. It seemed like an enticing offer to the girl. Her life would be spared for the mere price of telling this man the whereabouts of her missing sister. However, she spat on the Professor's face. "This act of insolence will cost you greatly," he said before relinquishing control of an execution robot's axe to behead the young woman himself.

"Listen up everyone," he turned around to face the crowd, the bright crimson blood of the beheaded clashing with his unnatural lavender skin. "These deaths could have been avoided if they hadn't challenged my authority. Why is that everyone?"

"You have control. You keep us safe," droned the crowd. Venomous nodded in approval as he walked away, allowing the interspersed guard automatons guide the citizens of Cross City back to their homes and jobs.

Among the citizens to witness the executions was a young man by the name of Steven Universe. He had once lived in a quaint beachside town appropriately named _Beach City_. Unfortunately, during one of his adventures, he was mysteriously pulled into this strange, dystopian society, with no way back home. But that was years ago.

Steven always had a strong distaste for violence, even going as far as to forgive those who attempted to take his life. However, watching Venomous publicly execute his enemies with no remorse was something he could sit idly by and allow. On his way back to his home, he began quietly whispering a song he once heard.

"_They say, this city, she's been dead for years now…_" he sang as he reached the doorstep of his apartment complex. He walked up the stairs to his unit, and quickly shut the door. "I just wish there was something I could do," he told himself. But it was useless. He was just one man. Without the Crystal Gems, Steven wouldn't stand a chance against the countless Boxmore-brand robots that traverse the streets of the city. Steven recalled the times with his friends and family to take his mind off the recent execution. He remembered Connie, Amethyst, Garnet, Pearl, his father, and all the others.

"One day I will return to you," Steven promised to himself, "Someday, I will make things right." He wanted to believe his words, but after being trapped here for years, he was beginning to lose hope.

"Those are some big words coming from you, Steven," a young girl sat upon Steven's open window. Her name was Star Butterfly: the Princess of the Fallen Kingdom.

"Venomous is just too powerful," Steven remarked to his friend and roommate. "We may have magic, but there are just too many robots."

"Yeah," Star said as she turned away from Steven and remembered her troubles. Those robots took everything from her. They killed her friends, her parents, her home, and they killed Marco. She began to cry as Steven walked up and pulled her in from the window. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she responded by placing her own hand on Steven's. They both smiled.

"We're gonna be okay Star," said Steven, "We're gonna make things right." They both got up, and went outside to clear their heads.

The streets were ripe with the stench of blood; the guards nowhere to be seen. It was the perfect opportunity to run through the streets like children, laughing and playing while the watchful eyes of Venomous' robots weren't upon them. Unfortunately, their gallivanting soon came to an end when a swarm of robots surrounded them, each machine ready to kill. Star readied her wand, while Steven withdrew his shield.

Steven threw his shield like a boomerang, hoping to hit all of the automatons at once. Star's wand glowed before she even began to speak.

"Narwhal Blast!" she yelled before the wand stopped glowing. This was a problem for Star. Meanwhile, Steven's Shield had missed most of the robots, only managing to behead one before fizzing out. The remaining guards drew closer to the two, ready to capture them for their acts of rebellion.

Out of nowhere, a blue energy burst hit one of the guards, causing it to explode. The process repeated for the remaining robots until they were all defeated. Star and Steven brushed themselves off, and Star pocketed her wand. From the direction of the projectiles was a young boy, who looked anywhere from six to eleven years old. He walked toward the two.

"Oh gosh," he said rubbing the back of his head, "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't hit either of you."

"No, we're fine," replied Star. "What's your name?"

"My name is K.O!" the young boy replied gleefully, seeming almost unaware of the horrors that abound in the streets of the city. "What's your name?"

"I'm Star Butterfly, and that's Steven Universe."

"It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," said Steven, who had a grown a smile after watching K.O. be cute for a minute or two. "Were you the one who destroyed those robots?"

"Yep! Back home my friends and I fought robots all the time, and they're the same as they were back home too."

"Back home? Are you not from here?"

"No, but I feel like I've been here before…" K.O. lamented before walking closer to Star and Steven. "And I don't have anywhere to stay. Can I stay with you?"

"I suppose," said Star, "but you'll have to sleep on the couch."

"Star!" yelled Steven.

"Fine, he can sleep in your room. You can sleep on the couch."

"I guess… that works," said a defeated Steven as they all walked back to the apartment. Star walked next to Steven.

"Why were our weapons not working?" asked Star.

"I'm not quite sure," responded Steven. He looked at K.O, who was playfully oblivious to the conversation, "And why do I feel like there's more to this kid than he's letting on?"

"I'd say it's all in your imagination, but he does kind of seem like an enigma," said Star.

_Who was this child? Why did Star and Steven take him in? Why are their weapons broken? Is K.O. the key to the fall of Venomous' society? Will this story continue? These questions and more may never be answered..._


	2. Are You Breaking Out?

_"This city doesn't know what's coming, she doesn't feel the heat. This won't know what hit her, what knocked her out into the streets." – Breaking Out _by The Protomen

Back in the apartment, Steven, Star, and K.O. began regaining their strength and looking into their weapons. Star held her wand under a magnifying glass, while Steven poked the gem that lay dormant in his chest. Star opened her wand up, only to find emptiness.

"That can't be right," Star scratched her head in confusion. "It's like my magic is completely dead."

"Yeah, and my powers aren't working either," said Steven, who had given up and was now lying on the couch. "How could this happen?"

"Well," interjected K.O, who was hanging upside down on the couch, "Professor Venomous is smart. Maybe he was working on something that made your powers not work?"

"I guess that's plausible," said Steven as he was making sense of K.O's overly simplistic and grammatically poor answer. Was it possible that the Professor was trying to prevent any possible rebellions against his rule? "But wait, K.O. Why would your powers still work?"

"The Professor and I have the same powers."

"How is that possible?"

"Professor Venomous… is my dad."

"What!?" yelled Steven and Star as they scrambled away from the non-threatening child on the other side of the room. Seeing as their weapons didn't work, they both assumed fighting stances.

"Relax," K.O reassured, "I'm not like my dad. Actually, I didn't even know he was my dad until a few months ago." He let out a small chuckle. The two others breathed a sigh of relief. They were so glad that this cute, cuddly, non-threatening child wasn't a threat.

"I don't know what we were so afraid of," said Star as she moved over to K.O. "I mean look at him." K.O giggled as Star poked his cheek. Steven still felt a bit uneasy. After all, the son of the city's dictator stood before him. Steven walked over to the window. As he sat outside, he was greeted by the broken-down, flickering neon lights of the city, as he watch the swarms of robots attack innocent civilians who dare break the curfew the Professor had set. He looked over to the bars, which he was almost certain housed some of the unfortunate souls looking for a way out of the city.

That was it. A way out of the city.

"Hey guys," Steven said as he reentered the apartment, "I have an idea." He explained to them how he was going to find a way to escape the city so he may find backup.

"Wait Steven, what about us?" asked Star as she grabbed onto his arm.

"Leave the light on. I'll come back for you," Steven pulled his arm away from Star, and as he walked out of the front door of the apartment, he uttered:

"When everything is said and done I swear I'm gonna make it right."

Steven shut the door. Star knelt down to K.O.

Steven had a burning passion in his heart that wanted to see the city free. Although he had only known this city under Venomous' rule, he knew that there was no way the city wasn't waiting for a better day. All he needed was a little guiding light. As he ran through the streets of the city, he felt as though he could hear the city itself speak to him. "_Don't turn your back on the city," _it told him. He told himself that he would only be gone long enough to find help. He swore that he would be back. He began hearing more voices, although these voices were familiar. He had heard them before. He turned around to find Star and K.O, both standing across from him, the neon signs lighting their faces.

"Steven what are you doing?" yelled Star.

"I just need to find some he—"

"No. You were going to abandon the city! You were going to abandon us!"

"But I said I'd be ba—"

"You _said_ something that a drunk man would tell a girl he just met!"

"What do you want me to do!?" Steven was crying now, "Do you want me to just give up!?"

"Steven, I don't know why you're acting like this. Honestly, this isn't like you. The Steven Universe you told me about wouldn't just run away when things got bleak! The Steven Universe I know has been fighting to save this city since we met!"

"Star, I-"

"Save your apologies for later," the two walked over to Steven, whose tears had only grown during their conversation, "For now we need to find a way to fight back against the robots."

"You…you're right Star," said Steven as he gave the two a hug. "This city needs us more than ever."

By sheer coincidence, the large broadcasting tower began playing a short video message from Professor Venomous. It repeated these words:

_"Blossom Utonium. If you think that you can run, or if you think that you can stand. Well, you forget who turned this city on. You forget who plugged this city in. Surrender yourself Utonium. How many more lives must end before you meet yours?" _

Venomous' disgustingly charismatic voice echoes through the mostly empty streets of the city. The trio knew that this message was the cue for them to leave before they were assaulted by any more of those patrol robots.

"I don't get what he wants with some girl," said Star as she hang upside down on the couch alongside K.O. "What makes her so special?"

"I'm not sure," said K.O, "But if she must be a big threat to the Professor, or else he wouldn't be this concerned.

"Then why don't we find her?" questioned Steven, "I mean, if she's as big a threat to the Professor as K.O's suggesting, then surely she must have a way to take him down, right?"

"You have a point Steven," said Star, "But how are we supposed to find her? We don't know the first thing about her."

"We have a name," said Steven with a glitter of hope in his eye, "It's better than nothing."

"I suppose you have a point." Star got off the couch, picked up K.O, and placed him carefully on the floor.

_They went off in search of the mysterious Blossom Utonium. Was she the key to Professor Venomous' downfall? Or is she a washed up has-been while the Professor was just being paranoid? Will this story start being more original instead of taking a concept from a Mega Man-themed band? Only time will tell…_

_ (That last thing probably won't change any time soon…)_


	3. Meeting the Mother of Death

_"What have I done? Though I did not pull the trigger—I built the gun— that he holds in his hand." – Father of Death _by The Protomen

Steven, Star, and K.O began their search in while the moon was young and the streets were at their most dangerous. They decided to check the bar, because although they were all too young to drink, the bar patrons are about as old as the Professor. It was all they had to go on.

They approached the steps leading into the bar. In front of a door stood a large, intimidating man, guarding the entrance of this elusive and important place.

"Let me see some I.D," he said the three miniscule minors that stood before him. None of them carried I.D on them back where they came from, and Steven was sure that K.O. didn't even know what an I.D. was. "No I.D, no entry."

"Well you see," said Star, "We're kinda on an important mission to save the city from the Professor's grasp, so…"

"Be that as it may, I still can't let you three enter the bar. It's for grown adults only."

K.O shot a power fist at the large man, knocking him out.

"K.O," yelled Steven, "What the heck was that for!?"

"My power fist is pretty strong you know," said K.O with a big smile on his face.

"No, I meant why did you knock that guy out?"

"Well, he seemed like a bad guy…"

"K.O, after this, we're going to have a conversation about the difference between bad guys and _people doing their job!_"

"Sorry Steven."

Regardless of the events that transpired, Steven, Star, and K.O. used this opportunity to sneak into the bar before the burly, hulking man regained his consciousness. The lights flickered in this underground haven, while the air reeked of cheap booze. There were a few patrons with their faces squashed between their tables while the counter was overpopulated with lost souls. 80's music could be heard blaring from speakers shoddily hung from the ceilings.

"Excuse me!" yelled K.O, "Does anyone know a _Blossom Utonium?"_

"K.O!" Steven whispered to the young boy who had caused all eyes in the establishment to turn to the trio of underage trespassers.

"So, you want to know about Blossom Utonium?" asked a mysterious voice from the shadows. Star turned around to check where the voice was coming from. An old man emerged from the shadows. He wore a green jacket, shorts, and had short hair protruding from his oddly shaped head. "I can tell you some of the stories I've heard about that girl…"

"Thank you, um, who are you?" asked Steven.

"They call me Funnie. _Doug Funnie._" He ordered another drink from the bartender before guiding the kids to a nearby booth.

"So did you know her personally or something?" asked Star, unsure whether this alcoholic could be trusted.

"No, but I was there the day she ran off with her boyfriend," he responded before taking a drink. "The day the T.V. told us to kill them."

"Why?" asked Steven.

"Because they killed someone ya hear!" Doug seemed too intoxicated to tell the story, but seeing as how they needed information, they let this drunken man continue his story. "They killed a girl with a robot! I tell ya, we were all standin' outside of the courtroom, waitin' for the verdict. Then…then they said he was not guilty! After that, we took to the streets to try and find him. _Give us the Guilty! _we shouted. _Give us the rope! _we shouted."

"What happened next?" asked Star while holding onto K.O.

"I-I don't remember," Doug said before walking away to order more drinks.

"Well that was a bust," said Star, "Sounds like Blossom isn't even in the city anymore." Off in the distance, Doug could be heard shouting incoherently to himself, much to the annoyance of the other patrons.

"Twenty floors above the dark streets of the city!" he shouted in between drinks, "Dr. Utonium lived in a run-down tenement! An eccentric and brilliant woman…" he trailed off as he was punched in the face by the bartender.

"Wait," said Star, "Why didn't we check our own building? I mean, it fits the description perfectly." So that's what they did. They ran back to their apartment and began ascending the stairs. Once they reached floor twenty, they began knocking on all sorts of doors. When they knocked on door 20XX, they heard the sounds of various mechanisms unlocking. Once the calculated clanging of metal had ceased, the door creaked opened. The three walked inside.

"Hello?" shouted Steven, "Dr. Utonium?" They heard something shatter. Upon further inspection, it looks like he knocked over a beaker.

"That was my father's beaker," said a voice. The voice was too old to be anyone Steven recognized. A shadow was cast on the wall that Steven was facing. He turned around, to see the same silhouette covered by the darkness.

"The shadows," Steven said, "They cover your face." Just then, if for a moment, he felt as though he could see past that and into this mysterious figure's soul. He felt as though he could understand this person. "But…your eyes shine, just like mine."

"Cut that out," the silhouette remarked as they stepped into the light. Those eyes that Steven had fixated on were on the verge of death. Steven stepped back in a simultaneous shock and awe. How could someone who was so ordinary be such a threat to the city?

"Are you, Dr. Blossom Utonium?" Steven asked the older woman that stood before him. She gave him a nod. That nod felt forced. Though this woman was physically Dr. Utonium, Steven could feel that she didn't want to be, nor did she feel like she deserved to be.

"Who are you?" asked the woman as she removed the glasses from her head and placed them in her pocket. Steven opened his mouth to answer, but Star and K.O. slid in to steal the moment away from him.

"I'm Star Butterfly, that's Steven Universe, and this adorable little kid is—"

"I'm K.O.!" the young boy said in his usual cheerful demeanor. Blossom wanted to chuckle, but she didn't have the strength. Steven brushed the dust off his jacket before sitting down to join her.

"So, um, how long have you been living here?" asked Steven, substituting crucial questions with small-talk. Blossom could see right through him.

"You want to know why I'm a wanted criminal by Cross City, correct?"

"Yeah. Why is Professor Venomous so afraid of you?"

"Because he knows that I can stop him."

"But how?"

"This debt is meant for me."

"How do you know the Professor?"

Blossom couldn't keep running from her past forever. She stood up and faced her three guests…


End file.
